THE UK should not rule out withholding the £40bn ‘divorce bill’ payment to the EU if negotiations fail to progress this September, says a top police chief, who wrote to the Home Secretary to warn of the risks of a no deal Brexit.

Matthew Scott, Police Commissioner for Kent, warned that we could lose vital access to information that keeps the British public safe unless a Brexit deal with the EU is brokered - and urged the UK to “use its hand” in order to a achieve a beneficial deal for the UK on security and policing.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, the Commissioner for Kent said: “The UK needs to use its hand as well, the EU stands to lose just as much as the UK over this.

“The UK is a really strong contributor towards all of the powers and the information sharing system. So the UK and the EU both stand to lose if there is no deal in March.

He went on to say that withholding the 40bn divorce bill was “going to have to be something that is considered if there is no movement of negotiations”.

Speaking on the same programme, Lord Bach, the Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner warned:

“If we fall off a cliff, if there is no deal, then goodness knows what happens. It’ll be ordinary people who pay the price.”

Earlier in the interview, Lord Bach said that it would be "absolutely absurd and ridiculous" to lose the mutual schemes used by the UK and the EU to keep the public safe.

Both Mr Scott and Lord Bach are signatories of a letter - delivered to Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Monday - warning that British police could suffer a “significant loss of operational capacity” in the event of a no deal Brexit.

The letter from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) urged the Home Secretary to begin making contingency plans in the event that the UK crashed out of the EU without a deal.

It also outlined the increasing concerns of the APCC that “such a loss of capacity could pose significant risks to our local communities”.

Brexit News: Police commissioner says the EU has much to lose in a 'no deal' scenario (Image: Channel 4 News)

The APCC letter says British police make regular use of 32 different law enforcement and national security measures that depend on EU membership.

These include the European arrest warrant – under which 1,735 people were apprehended in the UK last year and more than 10,000 people were extradited since 2004 – and the Schengen information system (SIS), a vast database used by police to search for terrorist suspects, missing people and to check vehicle registrations and passport details.

The letter continues: “These shared tools, measures, initiatives and capabilities which have been developed over the last 40 years of cooperation across the EU have saved many lives.

“We must find ways to protect these mutually important capabilities when the UK leaves the EU in order to ensure the safety and security all our citizens.”

Brexit News: Lord Bach says 'ordinary people will pay the price' for a no deal Brexit (Image: Channel 4 News)

In an interview with Channel 4, Mr Scott defended the letter saying:

“This letter acts as a reminder of some of the consequences there could be. There are some issues we need to resolve before March of next year so we can keep everybody safe.”

“We need to make sure that in cabinet and in No.10 the emphasis is being placed on policing and security in our next round of negotiations.”